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Maria wakes to the sound of a knock on her door. She groans when she looks at the clock - who on Earth could be wanting to visit at 3 AM? If someone has a mission assignment for her, she has half a mind to slam the door in their face and make them wait until at least 5 AM. It’s too fucking early for this.
Still, though, her dutiful side gets the better of her, and she reluctantly gets up to open the door. To her surprise, it’s not Fury or anyone else ranked above her in front of her. Instead, Natasha is standing in front of her, looking a bit sheepish in just a cami and sweatpants. Maria hopes she didn’t just gawk at her. That cami is very...form fitting.
“Natasha? It’s 3 AM. Is everything okay?” Maria stifles a yawn, trying not to fall asleep against the door frame. She’s so sleepy that it takes her a moment to realize that Natasha looks a little scared, too, and she frowns.
“Couldn’t sleep. Sorry, I can go.” Natasha turns to leave, and Maria reaches out her hand to stop her, holding herself back just enough not to touch the other woman.
“Hey. You don’t have to go.” Maria hesitates. “You can come in if you want. If you think it would help.” She’s not sure what exactly would help, aside from sleeping next to her, but she doesn’t say that out loud, not wanting to make Natasha uncomfortable. It’s a few moments before Natasha speaks, and Maria wonders if she’s going to bolt.
“Could I sleep next to you?” Maria has never heard Natasha this timid before, and she wonders how many people have been allowed to see Natasha like this.
“Yeah.” Maria scratches her head a little, trying not to be too embarrassed at the prospect. She can’t believe Natasha actually asked that, and she wonders if she’s dreaming. “It’ll help me too, I think.” She takes Natasha’s hand gently, leading her inside. They still haven’t put a label to what they are, but Maria isn’t going to complain about any of this.
“Thanks.” Natasha sounds just as shy as Maria felt, and Maria’s glad they’re both more than a little nervous. She doesn’t ask if Natasha had nightmares or what they were about, and instead, she lays herself down, patting the bed beside her to invite Natasha. Natasha settles beside her, and then after a moment, she scoots backward a little, becoming the little spoon to Maria’s big spoon. Maria is really okay with this. Hesitantly, she drapes an arm around Natasha, snug enough to provide comfort, but loose enough to easily escape.
“Is this okay?” Maria asks, her voice muffled a little by Natasha’s hair. God, her hair smells good.
“This is nice.” Natasha sounds a little calmer now, and Maria feels Natasha relax against her. She lets her hand rest on Natasha’s shoulder, hoping Natasha will allow her to continue to hold her.
“It is,” Maria murmurs. Those are the last words of the night, and eventually, they both drift off into the calmest sleep either of them has had in a long time.
Maria wakes up with her limbs tangled in Natasha’s, still inhaling the scent of her hair. She can’t remember the last thing she experienced that was better than waking up like this, and she hopes she gets the chance again.